Again
by Suzaku no miko
Summary: *Songfic* Nuriko would do anything to protect his friends...but how far would he really go??


Disclaimers: Fushigi Yuugi and its characters do not belong to me....Nariko is my made up character, though.... And the song "Again" is not mine either. Please R&R and enjoy!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
I've been searching for you  
I heard a cry within my soul  
I've never had a yearning quite like this before  
Know that you are walking right through my door  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Why must you be so stubborn?' Nariko asked herself, staring deeply into Ryuen's eyes. "I want to protect all of you. I can't stand to see my friends get hurt. I'd rather die than see any of you in pain." He answered, as if understanding the words she could not say. "And what will happen if you die?! Don't you think I would care? That maybe I would miss you?!" she suddenly yelled, startling him. "Nariko-chan…" he whispered, stepping closer to her.  
  
"Don't Nariko-chan me! Did it ever occur to you that I was in love? A feeling that doesn't come around everyday and now I finally have it. For the first time, I have experienced the feeling called love…and now you're trying to take it away from me? Why?!" Nariko cried, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. Ryuen opened his mouth but no words flowed through it. He could not find words to express himself. Instead, he embraced her and held her tightly against his warm body.   
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
All of my life  
Where have you been?  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
And if that day comes  
I know we could win  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Next morning  
'How am I going to tell her?' Tamahome wondered, riding his horse down the snowy path. "What's wrong, Tamahome?" Miaka asked, noticing his depressed look. "Where's Nuriko?" she asked another question, noticing that there was only the two of them. Her lover and guardian looked away, searching for the right words to say. "He's gone. He left to find the jewel himself." he said, finally. Miaka, at that statement, stopped her horse suddenly, making Tamahome stop his. "Why didn't he let us go with him?" "He also said that he had a mission. He didn't want to worry anyone which is why he didn't tell anybody but me." he explained.  
  
"Tamahome…why didn't you say something sooner?" asked a hurt Miaka. "Nuriko made me promise. I can't break a promise." Tamahome stated, boldly. Miaka turned her head to look at him, trying to understand him. "I know what you're thinking…you want to go to him, don't you?" he continued, meeting her gaze. "Hai. Demo…" she began. "Don't worry about Nariko. She's a strong girl, she can handle it." Tamahome confirmed. Suddenly…  
  
"Miaka-chan! Tamahome-kun!" a voice cried. Both turned around at the call of their names to find Tasuki and Nariko racing their horses to meet with them. "What's going on?" Tasuki asked when they arrived. "Where's Ryuen? I thought he was with you." Nariko asked, looking around. Miaka looked at her sadly. "Nariko…there's something you have to know."  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
A sacred gift of heaven  
For better worse, wherever  
And I would never let somebody break you down  
Until you cried, never  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Chichiri, how much farther?" Hotohori asked, leading the way. Everyone's horses stopped, waiting for the mage's answer. "It should be nearby, no da." He answered. "I just hope that we get there in time." Chiriko stated, as the group started to move again. "We have to find Yui's jewel while Tamahome and the others have to find Miaka's, right?" Mitsukake confirmed. "Right. But we have to find them before sundown." Hotohori replied.  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
All of my life  
Where have you been  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
And if that day comes  
I know we could win  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'There it is! There's the entrance to the shrine! Now if only that big rock wasn't there…' Ryuen thought to himself, nearing the shrine to Miaka's jewel. As he approached it, he brought his horse to a slow stop. He quickly hopped off and ran as fast as he could through the snow to the large boulder that blocked the entrance. Ryuen slowly brought his arms up, revealing his wristbands. They slowly formed red gauntlets. "Let's go!" he cried, a sly smile across his face. "That's as far as you go!" a voice suddenly cried. "Nani?!" Ryuen exclaimed, turning around.  
  
* * *  
==== Dream Sequence ====  
  
"Hey, Nuriko! You better be careful or the drunk guys might come after you!" Tamahome teased, laughing along with Tasuki. "I don't think that's very nice, minna-san." Chiriko stated, noticing Ryuen's frown. "Hi guys! What's going on?" Nariko asked, coming into the bar. She made her way over to where Ryuen was sitting, saying hello to everyone she knew along the way. "What's wrong, Ryuen-chan?" she asked as she sat down. "Fine. If you guys really want me to act more masculine…then FINE! I'LL MAKE YOU GUYS HAPPY!" Ryuen screamed, rising from his seat. "Nuriko…" Miaka whispered, who had been watching him the whole time.  
  
Everyone watched as Ryuen picked up a small sword. "Now, Nuriko…don't do anything drastic…" Hotohori said, watching him take the sword out of its sheath. "What are you doing, no da?" Chichiri wondered aloud. 'Sometimes Tamahome and Tasuki go too far…' Mitsukake thought to himself. "Ryuen…NO!" Nariko cried as Ryuen brought the blade up. Suddenly…  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
At every time I've always known   
That you where there, upon your throne  
A lonely queen without her king  
I longed for you, my love forever  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"It's a good thing we have Tasuki with us. He could use his fire spells to find where Nuriko is." Miaka said, gratefully. "Something doesn't feel right…" Nariko said, after a few moments of silence. "What are you talking about?" Tamahome asked as the group continued on. "Let's hurry!" she replied, whipping the reins against her horse's skin. As she hurried on, the others soon followed. 'I hope my feelings are wrong…' Nariko thought to herself.  
  
* * *  
==== Dream Sequence ====  
  
Ryuen swiped the blade, putting a shock to everyone's faces. Nariko looked at him with tears in her eyes, watching it fall to the floor. She walked over to him, looked into his eyes, and then at the spot where it fell. She bent down to pick it up and began to caress it, as if it were dying. "Ryuen…your hair…" was all she could say. "I'm just tired of everyone making fun of me…saying that I'm a fag. Well, I'M NOT!" Ryuen cried, watching her. "What were you trying to prove then? Do you think that because you had long hair, that made you more like a girl?! Ryuen-chan, it doesn't matter what you look like…Ryuen is Ryuen. Nothing will ever change. My love for you will never change." Nariko said, through tear-filled eyes.  
  
"Yeah, we're sorry we did that to you. We were just messin' with ya'." Tasuki apologized. "Besides, you'll always be one of the Suzaku Seven." Tamahome agreed. "Minna…" Ryuen whispered, becoming happy again. "And you'll always be…my only love." Nariko said, kissing him sweetly on his soft, warm lips.  
  
==== End of Dream Sequence ====  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
All of my life  
Where have you been  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
And if that day comes  
I know we could win  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"What are you doing here?!" Ryuen cried, watching the figure appear before him. "Sorry, but I can't let you get through!" the monster called Ashitare taunted the Suzaku seishi. "I need to get through!" Ryuen yelled back. "Ha!" Ashitare exclaimed, charging at the seishi. The strong Suzaku seishi could feel himself being pushed back by the Seiryuu seishi's brute strength.   
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
All of my life  
Where have you been  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
And if that day comes  
I know we could win  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Something's happening.' Hotohori thought to himself suddenly. "Are you all right, Hotohori-sama?" Chichiri asked, quietly. "Something doesn't feel right. We'd better hurry." Mitsukake suggested. 'They've must have felt it too.' Chiriko concluded, nodding in agreement.  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
All of my life  
Where have you been  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
And if that day comes  
I know we could win  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I have a really bad feeling about this." Nariko stated, as the group urged their horses on. 'There would have to be snow that's freakin' five feet at least! There's gotta' be a way to let us move faster!' Tasuki complained to himself. "Tasuki! Use the tessen so we can melt the snow! Doing that will help us get there faster!" Tamahome suggested, slowing his horse to a stop. "Right!" the fire seishi agreed, taking out his iron fan.   
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Their battle raged on as the two seishi exchanged blows. Both became bloodier by the minute. Ryuen could feel himself tiring, his clothes torn, and his breathing came in rapid, short breaths. 'Shimatta! He's not even tired!' he thought to himself, watching Ashitare come at him with quick jabs. "You really thought you could beat me?!" the monster taunted him again. "Hmph!" Ryuen grunted, jumping high into the air. His right foot landed on the back of Ashitare's large head. "Kisama!"   
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Something suddenly clicked in the minds of all the Suzaku seishi. Each one...Tasuki, Tamahome, Hotohori, Chiriko, Mitsukake, Chichiri, and Nariko...felt something very wrong. The Suzaku no miko also felt this strange feeling. 'A vision?' Miaka thought to herself, seeing a flash of the scene between Ryuen and Ashitare.  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He quickly raised his hand, his claws extended, and ripped through the guardian's skin. Ryuen, wide-eyed, opened his mouth to scream...no sound could be heard. Ashitare began to chuckle silently, watching the seishi squirm on his arm. He watched the blood trickle down the front of Ryuen's body and back. "You bastard!" Ryuen suddenly cried, gripping the extended hand. Clutching tightly onto the Seiryuu seishi's arm, Ryuen performed a backflip and landed behind him, removing himself from the large arm that impaled his body. With one quick movement, he wrapped his legs around the monster's waist and grabbed his large head. Ryuen yelled, using the last of his strength, trying to twist Ashitare's head, to completely break his neck, as punishment for attacking his friends. And suddenly....  
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ryuen!" Nariko suddenly cried, whipping the reins against her horse's neck. "Wait for us!" Tamahome called after her, rushing his and everyone else's horses after her.   
  
* * *  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
I wonder if I'll ever see you again  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The body lay on the ground, silent, with no more movement. Ryuen struggled, trying to make his way towards the shrine. With the strength that he had left, he quickly lifted the large boulder out of the way and threw it to the side. Not too far away from the entrance to the shrine, the Suzaku seishi fell to his knees. He gently placed his hand over his deep wound. 'I finally won. Looks like you were wrong, Ashitare... But now...' he thought to himself, looking from Ashitare's body down to his wound. "Oh no...I guess I won't be able to see Miaka or Nariko-chan anymore..." said a soft-spoken Ryuen. "Ryuen!" a voice suddenly cried out.  
  
Nariko was the first one to arrive, soon followed by Tamahome, Tasuki, and Miaka. When everyone caught up, they looked on sadly as Nariko cradled Ryuen's badly bruised body. "Don't die on me! Ryuen-chan...just hold on...Mitsukake will be here soon and he can heal you!" Nariko cried, tears falling from her dark, sapphire-blue eyes. "I'll never leave you...I'll always be there to protect you and Miaka...Wo ai ni..." Ryuen whispered, gently brushing away snow-white strands of hair from her face. "I'll always love you!" she cried. Ryuen smiled slightly as she said those few words. Nariko soon began to cry harder, suddenly realizing that his soft, caring eyes were no longer open. She sobbed uncontrollably as she held his now lifeless body closer to her, thinking to herself... 'I wonder if I'll ever see you again.'  
  
*~Owari~* 


End file.
